But Dinner with the Family is really just great theater that happens to come with dinner. The script is the brainchild of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame writer, creator and executive producer Robert Michael Fillicetti Bartel. The Family Shoe Players bring it to life and you play a role in the story

It's Chicago in the 1930s. The Great Depression's over, but times are still tough, and Prohibition's repealed, so to unwind you visit an Italian pizzeria, where you witness the antics of two feuding "gangs" led by bumbling, wannabe Dons It's Northside vs. Southside; Cubs vs. White Sox; thin crust vs. deep-dish; wives vs. mistresses Things heat up, singing and dancing emerge, then The Feds arriveElliot Mess of "The Unrefundables"! You even vote to see if you can solve the crime!

The core Family Shoe Players developed stage chemistry through a 2011 project and now launch this troupe, specializing in interactive theater. The troupe is run by John "Sloop" Biederman (Producer, "Elliott Mess"), noted humorist/comic from L.A.'s Comedy Store to TV and film; plus co-Producers/co-Directors/actors Joe Mierkiewicz ("Vito") and Greg Seidler ("Al Martini").